Metallic sleeper for railways



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. REESE. I

METALLIC SLEEPER FOR RAILWAYS. No. 272,477; 'P mtqd .Ee 2.9115133:

Fig-l [is WITNESSES; INVENTOR:

' By his Attorneys,

u PEI'ERS. Fhnlolilmgrapher. Washinglvu, 0.x;

. By Attorneys,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. REESE METALLIC; SLEEPER FOR RAILWAYS.

No. 272,477. Patented'Fb.20,1883.'

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

N4 PETERS. Plwlo-lilhngmphnr, wuhin eun. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IIENRY REESE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

METALLIC SLEEPER FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 272,477, dated February20, 1883.-

Application filed May 18, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY REESE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain ImprovementsinMetallic Sleepers for Railways, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention relates in part to the construction of the sleeperand in part to the rail-fastenings. The sleeper is composed of threemembersa transverse member in the nature of a tie and two longitudinalmembers secured rigidly to and upon the transverse member and arrangedto receive and support the rails. The object is to provide a sleeperthat will combine all of the advantages of the longitudinal andtransverse sleeper systems with the maximum of strength andbearingsurface and the minimum of weight of metal. The fasteningcomprises fixed clips or shoulders, which may be formed on the sleeper,and a removable and extensible screwjack or clamp to hold the railfirmly up to the fixed shoulders or clips.

The novel features of the invention set forth in the claims.

In the drawings which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is aplan of the sleeper in its most approved form, and Fig.2 is a sideelevation of same. Fig. 2 is the same as Fig. 2, except that thetransverse member is shown as bent to give an inward inclination to therails. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the sleeper. Figs. 4 and 5 areillustrations of modified forms of the means for securing thelongitudinal to the transverse members. Fig. 6 is a plan, Fig. 6 an endelevatiomand Fig. 7 a cross-section, illustrating a modified form of thelongitudinal member. Fig. 7 also illustrates a modification of the meansfor securing the members together. Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 illustratedifferent forms of the extensible jack or clamp for fastening the rails,Fig. 8 show-ing the preferred form. Fig. 12 shows severallongitudinalmembers arranged at different angles on the transverse member.

A is a transverse member or tie-piece, which is shown as cut from arolled plate, bar, or beam, having sloping side flanges and a middlependent rib on its under side.

The longitudinal member B, as shown in the preferred form, Figs. 1 to 5,is of an oblongpan shape, having a sloping flange all around will be androunded corners. This member may be stamped out while hot from a plateof metal with dies. This longitudinal member does not extend to themember on the sleeper adjacent, the space between their ends being aboutequal to the ordinary spaces between wooden ties-.that is to say, eachsleeper is independent of the others, except as it is connected by thetrack-rails. A portion, a, of the sloping flange of the member B is madeto stand out as a horizontal flange, which rests upon the crown-plate ofthe member A. The recesses thus formed in'the sloping flange, are madeto lit the contour of the member A and give the member B a firm seatthereon. The two members are secured together by bolts, which passthrough the flanges a a and the crown-plate of the member A, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1

member B on the member A, I have shown the parts at the right in Fig. 2in section on line 2 2 in Fig. 1.

In-lieu of forming the horizontal flanges a. on. the member B, I maymount the latter member on the top of member A and secure it in place bymeans of hook-bolts b, the heads of which pass through apertures in thecrown of member A and engage the margin of its crownplate, as clearlyshowniu Fig. 4; and in order to better support the crown-plate of memberB, I may arrange under said plate a metal block or casting, 0, (shown incross-section in Fig. 4 and in plan and detached in Fig.5.)

In Figs. 6 and 6 1 have shown the member B as cut from a rolled bar andhaving substantially the same contour andsection as the member A; or itmay have a form different from the member A, if desired. In thismodification the member B has of course-no sloping flanges at its ends.Such-alongitudinal member may be mounted on and secured to thetransverse member in any of the various ways illustrated in the firstfive figures of the drawings. In this form the member B has alongitudinal pendent rib on its under side, which may fit into a recessof socket in the block 0, where such block is employed, as shownin Fig.7. In Fig.7 Ihaveshownthisflangemadedeep enough to rest on the member A.In this figure I also show two flanges turned up on the member A, theouter one of which takes over the sloping flange of member B, and theinner to 3. To better illustrate the seating of the LII takes under theopposite flange. By means of these the two members are bolted securelytogether, as shown.

The means for fastening the rails to the longitudinal members B will bedescribed with reference most particularly to Figs. 1 and 8. On themembers 13 are formed or fixed clips (1 d, which are arranged to takeover the baseflanges of the rails G 0, preferably on the out- Side, asshown in the several figures. These may be formed out of thecrown-plates of the said members B by bending up portions of the same,and this is the preferred mode; but they may also be made separately andaffixed thereto. Fig. 8 shows the removable and extensible clamp Ddetached and on a larger scale. This clamp is arranged in an aperture inthe crown-plate of the member B, at the inner side of the rail 0, andcomprises a recessed jawpiece, 0, which takes over the base-flange ofthe rail and the margin of the opening in the crown-plate of member 13.Thisjaw eis bored to form a socket to receive the end of a screw, f, anda nick in the head of said screw engages the opposite edge or margin inthe aperture in the crown-plate. ()n the screw f is a nut, g, whichabuts against thejaw c, and when this nut is turned in one directionthejaw is forced against the rail-flange and presses the rail up firmlyto the fixed clips (1. The rail may be readily released by turning thenut back on thescrew,ortowarditshead. Inorderthatthe jaw may not strikethe margin of the aperture in the crown-plate before the rail is pressedagainst the fixed clips, I arrange the aperture with reference to therail-flange in such a manner that the flange may extend over theaperture slightly when it is in place, as shown.

Fig. 9 shows a modification of the clamp-D, in which the screwfscrewsinto thejaw-piece as into a nut, and at its other end it is journaled ina nicked head-piece, h. Fig. 10 shows another modification, in which thescrew isjournaled in an upturned portion of the crown-plate itself toform a lug, which takes the place of the head-piece h. Fig. 11 is thesame as Fig. 9, except that the screw is reversed in position and screwsinto the head-piece it instead of the jaw-piece e. Other modificationsof the clamp might be'suggested; but these will serve to illustrate themany ways in which the clamp D may be constructed and made to operate. Ihave shown in Figs. 1 to 3 a sleeper provided for a single track withbut two longitudinal members B; but it is obvious that in some casesthree, four, or more of these members maybe mounted on one member, A, asin the case of double tracks, switches, &c.; and in some cases it may bedesirable to mount the members B at some other angle than a right anglewith the member A. This arrangement is fully shown in Fi 12.

I am aware that sleepers comprising two iongitudinal members have beenproposed; but

in this case these members were laid directly upon the ground orroad-bed, and were pre vented from spreading apart by means of astretcher rod or bar. This I do not claim. My sleeper comprises aflanged transverse member placed directly on the road-bed, and on thisare mounted the longitudinal members. These latter do not rest upon theground, but are raised above it, as shown.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A metallic sleeper forrailways, comprising a transverse member formed with pendent marginalflanges, and arranged to rest on the road-bed, and longitudinal membersformed with pendent marginal flanges, the longitudinal members beingmounted on the transverse member and firmly secured thereto,substantially as shown and specified.

2. A metallic sleeper for railways, comprisingatransversememberandlongitudinal members secured rigidly together, thetransverse member having sloping flanges at its sides, and thelongitudinal members having sloping flanges at their sides and ends, asshown, and formed to take over and conform to the shape of thetransverse member where they rest thereon, substantially as shown, andfor the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, to form a fastening for a railway-track rail, offixed clips on the sleeper and a removable and extensible screw clamp orjack arranged to take over the base-flange of the rail and a. fixed partof the sleeper at one end and to abut against a fixed part of thesleeper at the other end, substantially as set forth.

4. An extensible clamp for securing a railway-track rail, comprisingajaw-piece recessed to take over the rail-flange anda fixed part of thesleeper, a screw sockcted in said jaw-piece at one end and arranged toabut against a fixed part ot the sleeper, and a nut on the screw, behindthe jaw-piece, or their specified equivalents, substantially as setforth.

5. The combination,with the transverse member A, of the longitudinalmembers 13 B, pro vided with sloping flanges at their sides, horizontalattaching-flanges a a and clips d (I, and the extensible clamps I), allarranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY REESE.

Witnesses:

THOMAS F. MYERS, THOS. L.

